A Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy Krueger's life
by Amanda-Krueger
Summary: See Freddy as small boy, a teenager, a young man and finally as the Springwood Slasher we all know.. NEW CHAP.6! PLEASE R&R!
1. The Circle Begins 1942

Disclaimer: Nightmare on Elm Street and all related characters and concepts are © New Line Cinema.

Authors Notes: This is the summary of the first chapter of my own little biographical fic about Freddy Krueger's life I'm writing for almost 10 years now (yeah, just unbelievable but true!). The reason I only give you some short summaries is that I'm a german and my story is therefore in german, too. But for all the English readers I want to give you a short impression of what I wrote.

Second Note: I know there is already a kind of Freddy's biography on Fanfiction.net. But my version is different in many ways, so you can decide which one you prefer.

Rated R for violence, sex and more.

CHAPTER 1 – The circle starts (February 1942)

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1. Amanda Krueger, aka Sister Mary Helena, gives birth to a boy in the Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital, where she was kept because she tried to suicide herself several months ago. Amanda is very hysterical and rejects the baby. When a nurse tries to give her the newborn boy, she gets unconscious. 

2. The doctor who assisted in the birth, Dr. Martin, talks to Dr. H. J. Taylor, the chief physician of Westin Hills. He complains about the miserable conditions in the hospitals. Dr. Taylor is mostly unimpressed and explains, that Amanda concealed her labour pains and that a psychiatric hospital could not afford all the newest technical stuff. Besides, he says, that mother and child are alright. Dr. Martin reminds him that the hospital could hardly make use of a second scandal and that the first one is not over, but has just begun to live.

3. Amanda undergoes in a dream once again the horror of being captured with the hundred maniacs and being raped countless times. She awakens screaming.

4. The abbess, Sister Mary Elisabeth, visits Amanda/Mary Helena. Mary Helena is desperate, she thinks that she has broken her vow, but the abbess says that it was not her fault. When a nurse brings the baby for breastfeeding, Mary Helena refuses at first to take it, but the abbess lays it nevertheless in her arms. It is the first time Mary Helena sees her son, and some new, unknown feelings come up, feelings of love. She asks the abbess what she should do now. Mary Elisabeth tells her that she could return to the convent, but only without her child. That leaves Mary Helena just more desperate. Although she never wanted this child she feels a deep pain by the thought of releasing him for adoption. The abbess leaves and reminds Mary Helena to think about everything before making a decision.

5. The next day, Dr. Martin brings the baby to Mary Helena and tells her that it is physical healthy (and beside this a wonderful, cute boy). Of course that is not Mary Helena's apprehension. Dr. Martin asks if she has finally chosen a name for the baby, but she hasn't. She can't even think about choosing a name for a child that she conceived under such dreadful circumstances. So she asks the doctor for his own name, which is Fred, and states that the baby will be called Fred – Fred Krueger!

6. Two nurses take care of little Fred, who is put in a small clothes chamber. One nurse is friendly and plays with Freddy, the other is rather hostile and tells the first that this baby is the bastard son of a hundred maniacs and therefore could never be normal. She would never care for him if it was not her duty. Her negative words alienate the first nurse and make her stop playing with Freddy.  

7. Miss Fisher, a young woman of the youth welfare, visits Mary Helena. She hassles her to sign the adoption papers, as the chances for adoption of newborn babies were good. But Mary Helena refuses to sign the papers, even when Miss Fisher accuses her of being selfish and irresponsible. Mary Helena though wants to think about the adoption release first and sends her away.

8. Mary Helena makes a little walk outside the building and meets Dr. Taylor. She asks him if her son will be mentally sane, but the doctor gives her only cagey answers. Then he also hassles her with the adoption and even tries to persuade her with some hush money, if she promises to keep silent about the things that happened in Westin Hills and if she agrees to the adoption release. Mary Helena is appalled that the doctors wants to buy her silence and returns sadly to her son.

9. Some days later. Mary Helena wants to see Fred in his chamber and witnesses unintentionally a chat between two nurses about her son, where the women don't speak very polite about Fred. Furiously she enters the room, and advises the two ashamed nurses with some bible words, before she leaves with Fred in her arms again. 

10. Miss Fisher visits Mary Helena again and repeats her arguments for the adoption release. Finally Mary Helena gives in and signs the papers. Miss Fisher is satisfied and wants to take Freddy with her at once, and so Mary Helena has just a few minutes to say goodbye to her son. Freddy screams loud when he is taken away from his mother. Mary Helena waves him goodbye when Miss Fishers leaves, but she has many doubts if she did the right thing. 

So, that's it. So it begins. Wanna know more? Well, just read the next chapter summary… and feel free to review!


	2. Destroyed Faith 1947 to 1948

Author's note: This is the second chapter. Seems to me as if my "short" summary isn't really short… Let's see what happens to little Freddy this time! *smile*

SECOND CHAPTER – Destroyed faith (1947/48)

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1. Miss Mason, a new educator in the Springwood Orphanage, watches over her group of orphans, which are the smallest in the house. She was hired only a few days ago and is just to get to know her kids. Most of them are cute and easy to manage, but there is one problem child – Freddy. The five year old small boy with the blond, slightly curled hair and the strange, icy blue eyes refuses to play with the other children, barely speaks and runs away every times she tries to touch him. When she again this day attempts to make him play with the other kids, he reacts as before and hides himself in the bushes. Miss Mason is very confused and concerned about him, but does not know why he behaves so weird.

2. In the evening Miss Mason talks to Mr. Robinson, the educator of the second group of children, which go to Elementary School. She is rather exhausted of her work, especially because of Freddy. Mr. Robinson encourages her. He also tells her that he actually wanted to be a teacher, but had to drop college because of the high study rates. So he became an educator, although the conditions have been worse in the last years, mostly because of the Second World War.

3. Miss Mason reads out to her group a little goodnight-story. She forgets that Freddy doesn't tolerate to be touched and tries to give him a goodnight kiss. Freddy jerks under her touch and hides under the coverlet. Sadly she leaves him there and turns out the light.

4. Miss Mason plays with her group "I see something you don't see". Freddy seems not to participate and is just sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth. But surprisingly he can solve the riddle when she asks him. Instead of continuing the game, though, he runs away and hides again.

5. Miss Mason reads the orphanage record about Freddy, but is disappointed because it contains only a few entries. Mr. Robinson explains that there have been more than nine different educators in the last years for the group Freddy is in, and that even he himself had sometimes to manage the group in addition to his own. So it is not surprising that no one had the time to write a lot about Freddy. Miss Mason wants to know more about Freddy's misbehaviour, but Mr. Robinson can't tell her much more. He remembers only that Freddy at all times reacted bad on contact and once fell down the stairs when an educator tried to comb his hair, and that he gets dreadful rage attacks from time to time.

6. Freddy has vanished during the daily nap. Miss Mason desperately seeks him everywhere in the house and finally finds him sleeping between the bushes in the garden. She wakens him and tries to get him out of the bushes. But Freddy crawls out of her reach and sprints suddenly back in the house, leaving her frustrated and helpless.

7. Freddy plays in the sandbox, but with some 'security distance' to the other kids. When Joey, a six year old charming boy, steps on his sandcastle by an oversight, he attacks him, destroys Joeys own sandcastle and dumps sand on him. Joey defends himself with throwing sand back. Miss Mason interrupts and separates both, but Freddy begins to scream and kicks and beats her in a sudden franticness. She has no other choice than to drag him with force into the house, where he continued to scream and lash about more than half an hour. After this afternoon Miss Mason knows what Mr. Robinson meant with that "rage attacks" he mentioned before.

8. Miss Mason talks to Miss Jennings, the educator of the eldest children. Miss Jennings doesn't wonder about Freddy's weird behaviour, she even thinks that it is rather normal for him. Miss Mason can't understand her point of view, but Miss Jennings tells her about the scandal with Freddy's mother and that he is nothing more than an insane bastard. Miss Mason becomes angry as she begins to understand why nobody tried to help and understand Freddy before – because everyone thought he is just a kook. She attacks Miss Jennings of being a narrow-minded, unfair woman full with unproven prejudices against a small, innocent boy. She would not let anyone talk bad about Freddy anymore as long as she would be his educator.

9. Miss Mason meets Mr. Robinson and asks him why he didn't tell her the truth about Freddy's past. He apologizes and says that he feared she would believe the same about him as she did about Miss Jennings. He also didn't want to be the one telling mean rumours. Finally he gives her the advice not to mention the old scandal anymore, because she would do only more harm to Freddy by reactivating old things. Miss Mason doesn't agree to him, as it is obvious to her that this old things have never been forgotten. But she promises to let bygones be bygones.

10. Freddy gets another rage attack when Joey criticizes his painting (which is indeed some kind of bloody and strange). He destroys Joeys painting and throws all the paint stuff from the table. Miss Mason is hardly able to calm him down. She wants him to apologize to Joey, but Freddy screams in hate and starts his monotone rocking. Miss Mason orders that he has to sit alone until he apologizes. Then she leaves him alone.

11. After sitting more than an hour on the floor rocking all the time Freddy secretly sneaks to the corner with the dolls of the other children. He takes two dolls and tears them apart, destroying them without any mercy or regret.

12. Mary, a lovely four year old girl, finds the remains of her beloved doll and is totally distraught. Miss Mason comforts her first and then returns to Freddy, who she suspected to be the committer. She asks him if he has destroyed the puppet, and Freddy finally nods. Miss Mason can't understand why he did this mean thing, Freddy though remains silent and starts his rocking once more.

13. Weeks go by. Miss Mason tries her best to cope with Freddy's distrust, his impenitence and his awful rage attacks. Mr. Robinson helps her as good as he can, while Miss Jennings always criticizes her efforts as an useless waste of time for a hopeless crazy bastard.

14. One evening Freddy comes to Miss Mason, who is sitting and reading a book. He has urinated in his bed like many times before. Miss Mason wants to carry him back and give him dry pyjamas, but Freddy fears she would beat him for bedwetting and winces under her touch. With all her patience she explains that she would never beat him and that bed-wetting is nothing more than an unlucky accident. Finally and for the first time at all she can pick him up and bring him back in his sleeping room.

15. Miss Mason gets another small success as she discovers why Freddy refused to bath peacefully like all others – he feared he would shrink in the water because of the wizen skin you get after a while. Miss Jennings isn't impressed about her little progress and repeats her opinion that Freddy is just a lunatic bastard and belongs to the asylum. She and Miss Mason start to quarrel heavily until Mr. Robinson interferes and takes Miss Mason in the garden for calming down.

16. Freddy, who was bathing meanwhile, jumps out of the bathtub and eavesdrops the quarrel between Miss Mason and Miss Jennings. He doesn't understand everything, but knows that the quarrel is about him and is rather terrified. Words like "lunatic bastard" and "asylum" sound very dangerous and bad to him. Before Miss Mason can find him listening he silently returns in the bathroom. 

17. Miss Mason finds Freddy, who hides in the big wardrobe, and brings him to the other children, which glue fall-colored leaves on papers. Everything is fine at first, until Lucas, a red-haired five year old boy and best friend of Joey, accidentally takes one of Freddy's leaves for his paper. Miss Mason recognizes that Freddy is on the best way of getting one of his paddies and tries to calm him down, but in vain. Inflamed with rage Freddy bashes his chair and attacks Joey. Once more Miss Mason has to put him out of the group and pull him against his unrestrained and aggressive resistance into the sleeping room. 

18. Christmas time. Miss Mason has made an Advent calendar, and every day another child of her group gets the small sweet inside. One day she decides that Freddy gets the sweet – a piece of liquorice.  Joey is disappointed because he likes liquorice much, so Miss Mason suggests that he asks Freddy if he wants to share the liquorice with him. Joey follows her advice, but Freddy shouts at him angrily and runs away.

19. Miss Mason oversees Freddy, who plays alone in his sleeping room. First she is pleased to see him play like 'normal' children, but then her delight turns to fright as she watches how Freddy plays: He uses two dolls, a male and a female, and the female starts to beat the male one and curses at it for bed-wetting and being a 'lunatic bastard', which will soon be brought to the asylum, where it would horrible suffer and die. Miss Mason is shocked as he uses the same words as Miss Jennings. She recognizes that he must have listen to her frequent quarrels. Deeply concerned he leaves him alone and returns unnoticed to the other kids.

20. Later in the day Miss Mason tells Mr. Robinson about Freddy's odd game. Miss Jennings, who is also there, finds her concern ridiculous and futile. Mr. Robinson though reassures Miss Mason that this game is probably without any deeper meaning. Miss Jennings at last tells her to watch Freddy closely in the Christmas time and to keep him away from fire, as he had almost set the Christmas tree on fire last year. Miss Mason is convinced that nothing like this will happen this year and cuts any further discussion with Miss Jennings.

21. Some nights later. Freddy is sitting on Miss Mason lap, an astonishing change in his former behaviour, which developed slowly in the last weeks. He had a nightmare about bad witches, probably because Miss Mason told her group this evening the fairy tale of "Haensel and Gretel". She thinks out a small "spell" to defeat the "witch under Freddy's bed" to soothe him. Then she brings him back to his bed.

22. Christmas day. Every orphan gets one gift; most of them used things and contributions. Freddy hides in a corner of the room, because he doesn't want to come to close to all the other children running around the Christmas tree and unwrapping their gifts. Miss Mason finally finds him and gives him his gift – a big yellow tin lorry. But Freddy shows no visible joy, which irritates Miss Mason a little.

23. Later Freddy plays with his new toy when Joey joins him; his gift was a red tin digger, which suited well to Freddy's lorry. Miss Mason had chosen their gifts deliberately, for she hoped that they would play together and probably become friends. Her plans seem to work out as Joey and Freddy in fact begin to play together, although Freddy remains mostly silent and Joey makes all proposals for playing. But anyway they were playing together!

24. Sister Mary Helena visits the Springwood Orphanage and brings a package with self made things from the convent for the orphans. Miss Mason asks her in and calls for her group to come. Freddy ignores her first, so she has to call him twice. When Mary Helena sees him she turns pale in shock. She instantly knows that he is her son. Even at this young age his similarity to his biological father is so great that she gets a terrifying flashback of being raped from this man, who was one of the most violent, sadistically and perverted maniacs among the others. Miss Mason can't understand her strange reaction and tries to help her. Mary Helena is torn between running away, away from Freddy and her memories, and getting closer to him, touching him or even talking to him. While she just stands there freezed in jolt, Miss Mason entertains an almost impossible suspect, namely that this nun is Freddy's mother! At least she screws up her courage and asks Mary Helena if she is the one she thinks she is. Mary Helena doesn't want to lie and agrees. She admits that she was totally shocked to see Freddy, for she had hoped he had been adopted in the meantime. If she had knew her son still lived in the orphanage she would never have come. Nevertheless, her desire of talking to him is still strong, and so she asks Miss Mason if she can talk to Freddy. Miss Mason allows it, but reminds Mary Helena to follow the contact prohibition she agreed with the adoption release and not to tell Freddy who she is. Mary Helena accepts, then she meets her son and talks to him a short while.

25. Freddy's sixth birthday. Unfortunately he has the measles and has to stay in bed. He gets a new satchel for his coming school enrolment and a red fire department car for playing. Joey, who had the measles just a few weeks before, is allowed to stay and play with him.

26. Miss Mason talks to Mr. Robinson about the amazing friendship between Freddy and Joey, which has developed the last weeks. Mr. Robinson though dampens her optimism; he thinks that Freddy's ameliorated behaviour is still unsteady and too short-run. But Miss Mason is convinced that things are getting better with Freddy.

27. Two times in the year there is an "adoption day" in the orphanage, where parents come to the house and look after children for an adoption. The evening before this day Joey is nervous and curious jumping on his bed. He can't understand why Freddy doesn't look forward the adoption day like himself. But Freddy hates this day. Of course he also wants to be adopted, but he just can't bear all the foreign people touching him and asking silly questions. Besides he has the sad feeling that there will be again no one who likes him and wants to adopt him.

28. Adoption day: Miss Mason makes some parents known to her children. Joey has a long conversation with a nice couple, which finally decides to adopt him. Meanwhile Freddy had run away of another couple and feels like a total looser. Joey comes to him and tells him that he will be adopted and moves to another town, still he wants to retain the friendship with Freddy. Freddy however becomes hopping mad and attacks him with a toy, yelling in frantic rage. Miss Mason hears him and tries to stop him, but he breaks away from her and stumbles on the stairs, so he gets a bloody nose. He flees in his sleeping room and starts to rock back and forth haggardly. It takes Miss Mason a long time before she can soothe him a little.

29. After Joeys adoption Freddy shows again all his former odd behaviour – isolating from group, tolerating no contact and rocking all the time silently. Miss Mason tries to explain to him why Joey had left him and gives him a new teddy bear as a sop to his pride. 

30. Miss Mason is fired due to budged reduction. Her group will be merged with the group of Mr. Robinson. She has just a few days to say good-bye to her kids. Miss Mason is rather sad, especially because of Freddy. She doesn't know how to tell him that she, too, has to leave him only short after Joey left him. As she tells all kids of her group that she will leave in a few days, Freddy doesn't react at first and just stares at her muted. Only when she touches him he jumps up and runs away from her.

31. Later on that day Freddy sneaks into Miss Mason's room and takes a long scissor. Then he puts his new teddy bear on the ground and slashes the toy in tiny pieces, thereby mumbling that he hates the bear, Miss Mason and everybody else. Miss Mason watches him secretly and is deeply grieved. She fears that he will never understand why she has to leave, as he apparently didn't understand why Joey left although she explained it more than once to him.

Okay ladies and gentlemen, that was the second chapter. Any review or comment is welcome.   
If I get some positive feedback I will soon continue with the third chapter. J


	3. Growing Distrust 1951

_Author's note_: This is the third chapter of my novel. You might recognize one scene I adopted from ANOES6 (Freddy's Dead – The final Nightmare), but I changed it slightly (at least what we saw in ANOES6 was a creepy kind of memory, and memories aren't always correct, are they?)

Warning: This chapter contains explicit descriptions of cruelty to animals!

**ATTENTION**: CHAPTER CHANGED DUE TO SOME NEW IDEAS I WANTED TO ADD IN THE STORY!!! 

CHAPTER 3 – Growing Distrust (1951)

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1. Three years have passed. Nine year old Freddy lives in the foster family of Mr. and Mrs. Jackson and their twelve year old son Rick. It is the second try in a foster family, the first one failed soon after a few weeks because of his still occurring rage attacks. Freddy is an outsider and has no friends, neither in school nor at home, where even Rick constantly teases him. One day he hides behind a big elm tree (guess which street he's in, *g*), but is discovered by three bigger boys, which chase him down the street and beat him after they caught him. His school bag breaks during the fight and he is full with dirt when he finally returns home. Mr. Jackson tells him off for coming late back from school and ruining his clothes.

2. Evening lunch. Freddy's foster Brother Rick picks on him and kicks him under the table. Freddy isn't hungry, but Mr. Jackson wants him to eat his meal. Freddy however gets frantic and throws his pea mulligan to the ground and yells furious. Mr. Jackson sends him back to his room without dessert for punishment.

3. Mrs. Sullivan is Freddy's teacher in third grade of the Springwood Elementary School. She treats him poorly and always repeats that he will be a looser all his life and will end up terrible some day. Freddy can't understand why his teacher dislikes him so much (well, we know, Mrs. Sullivan knows about his past and has the same opinion as Miss Jennings in the orphanage). His marks in school aren't best, not because he's not smart enough but due to his laziness. Mr. Jackson always has to check his homework, otherwise he probably would have had to repeat a class.

4. In the night. Freddy can't sleep due to a heavy lightning storm and tiptoes through the house. In the living room he finds Ricks precious collection of baseball cards, which he has forgotten there. Freddy remembers that Rick teased him all this afternoon while Mrs. Jackson just watched and didn't interfere. In a sudden rage he starts to shred the play cards in tiny pieces, throwing them all over the ground. Then he returns to his bed, feeling a little bit satisfied by his destructive act. Rick finds the remains of his collection in the next morning and Freddy gets punished severe, but he feels no remorse. 

5. In school. Freddy has to read out his essay in front of class. He hates doing this, mainly because Mrs. Sullivan normally chooses such topics like "My family", "My last holiday" or "My house" – topics which understandably aren't easy to write for Freddy. This time the topic is "My career aspiration", and he really worked hard on this one. He wants to be a head-hunter when he is grown up and begins to describe what he would do to the criminals (which are really bloody and creepy things), but Mrs. Sullivan stops him at once and tells him that his essay is nonsense and that head-hunter isn't any normal work. All other pupils laugh at Freddy. Freddy on his part can't understand what he did wrong. His career aspiration was inspired by a comic book series called "Marshal Cooper, the mighty avenger" he used to read. But Mrs. Sullivan doesn't let him explain anything and sends him back to his seat. Back on his chair he stares scowling at his paper and finally mutters that he will nevertheless become a great head-hunter!

6. Freddy has got a confinement to his sleeping room for his last franticness a couple of days ago. He is bored and scrolls one of his old Marshal-Cooper comics until Rick enters the room. He mocks him right instantly and tries to take away his comic. Freddy ignores him first, but when he bullies him even more he jumps up and struggles with Rick until Mr. Jackson comes and separates them. Mr. Jackson though only punishes Freddy for his aggressive attack, which in Freddy's point of view is totally unfair.

7. Another school day. There is a new project in class called "My favourite pet". Every day one student has to bring an animal to school and read out an essay about it. Today it is Steve McCullum's turn, he has two green frogs in a big preserving jar and reads his essay in front of class. Freddy is rather bored by his story. The only animals he likes are dead ones. During brunch pause he returns unnoticed to the classroom. He hates to be together with all the other kids on the school yard, because they bully him most of the time. In the classroom he discovers the preserving jar, which stands on Steve's table. He opens the jar and tries to catch a frog, but they are too fast. So he takes a sharp pencil and spikes the frogs one by one, watching thrilled how they perish in agony. Then he leaves the class room again with a pleasant anticipation of Steve's reaction. Indeed all students are shocked and appalled when the dead frogs are found. They can't understand why anyone would do such a cruel thing. Freddy however stays silent and enjoys their disgust and disconcertment.

8. Freddy finds a box with matches and sets his bed on fire, almost causing a dangerous room fire. Only because of the fast reaction of Mrs. Jackson, who smells the smoke and puts the fire out, there is no one harmed. But after that the Jackson's decide to bring Freddy back to the orphanage. 

9. Back in the orphanage. Mr. Robinson, the group leader, tries to talk with Freddy about the reasons of his returning, but in vein. Freddy seems unable to understand that it was his own behaviour which brought him back. The other kids mock at Freddy because he screwed up his foster home again. 

10. Freddy steals a Comic of "Marshal Cooper" in a store and runs away, colliding with Sister Mary Helena all of a sudden. She is completely surprised to meet him. She talks to him a while, but Freddy doesn't remember her visit four years ago in the orphanage and is rather untalkative. At least he runs away again. 

11. Sister Mary Helena comes several times to the orphanage to have a short glimpse at Freddy, but she never enters the orphanage due to the contact prohibition. Mr. Robinson, who saw her three or four times standing on the street, steps out to her one day and talks to her. He had put two and two together and suspects that she is Freddy's mother (well, at least there aren't many nuns with a highly visible interest in the only known child of a nun and hundred maniacs). He warns her not to break the prohibition and to stay away from the orphanage, for her and for Freddy's sake. Mary Helena, who knows that she behaved silly and irresponsible, promises him to stay away.

12. After the adoption day. Most children mope on Freddy because he got an outrage during the visit of the parents, which of course didn't left the best marks. When he wants to be alone, a boy named Pete trips him up so he fell against the door, which is opened at this moment by Mr. Robinson coming in. Freddy bounces back and fells to the ground. Pete laughs at him, and then he detects that Freddy is nose bleeding. As Freddy sees his own blood he becomes furious and jumps up. Albeit the blood that drips on his clothes and on the floor he curses on Pete and wants to attack him. Mr. Robinson tries to stop him, but he turns on him with the same rage and insults him vulgar. Mr. Robinson is forced to slap him in the face to bring him to halt, then he commands him in the bathroom where he should clean his face and change the bloody clothes. Freddy obeys but not without spitting blood to the ground and muttering more curses to him.

13. Once again after several rage attacks Mr. Robinson gives a long harangue to Freddy, who lacks any sign of remorse or sense of guilt. Mr. Robinson is completely at a loss with him, not knowing how to teach him decency and a moral conscience. In his despair he gets a quite absurd idea, namely to get some external help – help from a person who knows well about ethics and patience: Sister Mary Helena! Perhaps she could give Freddy some kind of "ethic lessons", of course only in her function as a nun and not as his mother. She is Mr. Robinson's last hope, because Mr. Graham, the director of the orphanage, has already threatened to put Freddy in a reformatory if his behaviour doesn't get better soon.

14. A couple of days later. Sister Mary Helena visits Freddy the first time. She is rather nervous, Freddy however doesn't speaks much to her. He is angry about this new, unexpected and unusual punishment of Mr. Robinson. The idea of having "ethic lessons" sounds silly and useless to him, because he doesn't think he did anything wrong. Mary Helena tries her best to overcome his mistrust, but Freddy is far away from trusting her, and this makes her conversation pretty hard. After her "lesson" Mary Helena talks to Mr. Robinson. She is unsure if she can handle Freddy's strong distrust and teach him any good. Mr. Robinson affirms her not to give up after one meeting. He knows how hard it is to talk with Freddy and suggests that she reads out some bible stories which she could discuss with him afterwards. Mary Helena thanks him for this idea and promises to come back in a few weeks.

15. Mr. Robinson compliments Freddy on doing his homework. He had no rage attack for one week, which is a small but noticeable success. Freddy asks him for the first time about his parents. Mr. Robinson doesn't know what to tell him, he isn't sure if Freddy is yet old enough to cope with the full truth. So he tells him only a "censored" version, namely that his mother, Amanda Krueger, died after his birth and that his father is unknown. This is the official version that is written in Freddy's orphan-record. Actually it was only a bit imprecise, as it kept quiet about the circumstances of his conception and that his mother was still alive, but as Sister Mary Helena and not as Amanda Krueger anymore.

16. A week later. Mr. Robinson makes a trip to the park with his group but orders that no one is allowed to leave the group. Some kids mock on Freddy because of his previous nose bleeding, so he disobeys Mr. Robinson order and separates from the group. While he walks through the park alone he just meets the elder boys which chased him down the street before. In an instant he runs away, crawling under a line of bushes and then climbing on a big tree, hoping the boys won't find him there. Indeed the guys loose interest on him when they can't find him anymore. Freddy keeps on his place high in the tree for a long while watching other people. In the end he starts to climb down, but fells down when someone suddenly calls him. It is Mr. Robinson, who noticed his absence and searched the park for him. He is very angry about Freddy's disobedience and orders the return to the orphanage.

17. Next day. Freddy is on the way home from school. He thinks about Mrs. Sullivan's frequent vitriol. She also reminded him that he has to present his favorite pet in a few days. Unfortunately Freddy has no clue of what to present. Lost in thoughts he almost stumbles on something on the ground. It is a dead rat, probably hit by a car. Without any disgust he touches the dead animal, fascinated by its half decayed state. Suddenly he knows which favorite pet he will present – this nice rat! So he puts the cadaver in his school bag and returns happy to the orphanage.  

18. Later on the same afternoon Sister Mary Helena visits Freddy for the second time. She has followed Mr. Robinson's suggestion and reads out a bible story about the benefits of not taking revenge. Freddy finds it difficult to understand why he should suppress his anger and hate. His rage attacks are beyond his own control, they overwhelm him almost without any warning. And when he tries not to go overboard the others mock him so long he can't bear it anymore. Mary Helena is very keen to explain him the difference between good and bad behaviour, but it is a cumbersome work.

19. Two days later. Freddy presents the rat in class as his favourite pet. Sadly, no one else understands his special and abnormal preference for dead animals. Mrs. Sullivan and all other students completely freak out, screaming in disgust and abhorrence. Freddy on his side can't understand their agitation; all he knows is that somehow he totally screwed it up again.

20. Freddy is in the garden although it is raining. He kneels on the ground and smashes earthworms with a stone, still angry and disappointed that Mrs. Sullivan didn't accepted his essay about his rat and gave him a bad mark. Miss Jennings finds him outside and commands that he comes in, but he ignores her and forces her to come out in the rain. She wants to grab him on his arm and pull him back inside the house, but he runs away from her. When she pursues him she slips on the wet ground and fell right in the mud, giving Freddy a nice picture to laugh at. Only when Mr. Robinson shouts at him to come in immediate he obeys and returns in the dry room, where he gets four hours room arrest, although it was not his fault that Miss Jennings slipped.

21. School. Becky Thompson, best pupil and Mrs. Sullivan's favourite student, humiliates Freddy as a loser and shows off with her two small hamsters she brought today to class as her favourite pets. In the small break between two units Freddy takes one of her hamsters, put it on a desk and smashes it with a big sledge. His deed doesn't stay unnoticed, and the reaction of the other students and Mrs. Sullivan even tops the one they showed for his rat.

22. Freddy overhears a discussion between Mr. Robinson and Miss Jennings. After his hamster-murder he was brought back to the orphanage. The educators talk about what he did in school. Mr. Robinson is confused and appalled facing such an unbelievable cruelty to animals. Miss Jennings however thinks that Freddy's deed is just another proof of his insanity. She believes that the orphanage can't keep Freddy any longer and that he belongs to an asylum more than ever. Mr. Robinson mentions that not she but the director will decide about Freddy's future, but Miss Jennings is confident that he will decide in her way. Freddy, who witnesses this quarrel, is quite shocked. Although he hasn't any remorse for killing that dumb hamster he fears being put to an asylum like Miss Jennings said. When Mr. Robinson discovers him eavesdropping he runs away out of the orphanage.

23. Late in the evening a police officer brings Freddy back to the orphanage. He was picked up walking near the city limit. Mr. Graham, together with Mr. Robinson and Miss Jennings, await him already. The director is very angry that Freddy killed a harmless animal first and tried to runaway then. Mr. Robinson is sad knowing that Freddy made everything worse with his runaway. Miss Jennings however is satisfied that he will get his comeuppance now. Mr. Graham interrogates Freddy about the last events, but Freddy is obdurate and behaves rather naughty. He is at most disappointed that he has been caught before he could leave the town. When Mr. Graham gets angrier at his disrespect and grabs him at his shoulder, he screams, beats him and even bits him in his hand. Mr. Robinson pulls him away and slaps him in his face, which makes Freddy stop. Mr. Graham calms down and commands that this was the last straw and that the orphanage could not keep such an aggressive child any longer. They would send Freddy to the youth reformatory in town just tomorrow.

24. Later in the night. Freddy lies in his bed and can't sleep. Although the reformatory isn't as frightful as the lunatic asylum he is deeply scared being sent there. The grim words from Mr. Graham and Miss Jennings spin around in his head, and he feels absolutely lonely and lost.       

To be continued… 

BTW, please excuse my English, the translation is really exhausting. Leo.org dictionary became my best friend… 


	4. The Trauma Recurs 1951

_Author's note: _

Chapter 4 is finally up. *g* Thanks for all reviews!

The description of the "Springwood Youth Reformatory for maladjusted boys" is highly inspired from the Youth Shelter we see in ANOES6, but this children's home is only for boys (we're just in the fifties, mixed gender was almost unthinkable at this era).

CHAPTER 4 – The Trauma Recurs 1951

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1. The "Springwood Youth Reformatory for maladjusted boys" is a small, ugly building in downtown of Springwood. No garden or playground, only a tiny concrete backyard. The rooms are spartanic, the walls without any decoration. Mr. Joseph Bower is the only full-time educator, but he is supported by college students from time to time. Mrs. Neily is the matron of the house, responsible for daily things like cooking and clothes. The home can take up to 10 boys, actual there are 8 boys aged between 12 and 16 years. Nine year old Freddy is therefore the youngest and is to that effect quite out of place.

2. On his first afternoon in the home Freddy follows Mr. Bower to his new room, which he shares with four other kids. In the room he meets his to-be roommates – Dennis (14, kind of James Dean), Tom (15, Afro-American, heavy build), Jake (12, short, but clever) and Rodney (14, gawky and with lots of spots in his face). Dennis, Tom and Jake begin to interrogate and pester Freddy, who tries best to answer all their brash questions. Rod attempts to protect him, but is insulted and gives up quickly. Later Rod shows Freddy the rest of the house. In the living room Freddy is questioned again. Another boy remembers the rumors in school about the hamster-killing, thus giving Freddy almost from the beginning the reputation of being a kook.

3. Some days later. William, a student supporting Mr. Bower, tries to form a friendship with Freddy. But Freddy keeps rather silent and skeptical (as usual). In the night he can't sleep because of the alien environment. He feels totally lost and desperate, but he doesn't cry although he would like to, because he doesn't want the other to think of him as a wimp.

4. Freddy gets teased everywhere he's going: in the living room, in the sleeping room, even in the toilets he is thrown out because Dennis is secretly smoking there. Finally Freddy can't stand it any longer and runs away from the reformatory. 

5. Freddy runs through Springwood for several hours, not knowing where to go. At last he goes to the Orphanage with the naïve hope that he could live there again. The orphanage though is already informed about his runaway. So when Mr. Robinson finds him in the garden he contacts the reformatory. Mr. Bower comes to pick Freddy up, who gets rather frantic and doesn't want to go back. But Mr. Bower forces him and threatens him with a severe punishment for his runaway. Mr. Robinson is quite sad that he can't help Freddy anymore.

6. Dennis and his friends taunt Freddy for his poor runaway, but Freddy bears their sarcasm without any reaction. The punishment of Mr. Bower was indeed very severe and painful. William stops the others from mocking on Freddy and tries unsuccessfully to cheer him up. He is more and more concerned about Freddy and fears that he is unable to cope with the constant psychic pressure of the other children.

7. William talks to Mr. Bower about Freddy and tells him his concerns. He also thinks that Freddy needs some extra help to adapt in the new situation and suggests that they continue with the "ethic lessons" he read about in Freddy's file record. He believes that a person Freddy knows already could facilitate his familiarization. Mr. Bower is not convinced that some visits of a nun could help and wants to think about it first.

8. Freddy hides under his bed and witnesses Dennis, Jake and Tom smoking and talking about their last breach of the rules here and in school. When they find him they threaten him not to tell anyone. Freddy manages to run out of the room but gets a wild rage attack down in the living room because of the almost permanent bullying. Mr. Bower punishes him hard again and blows him with a cane.

9. Mr. Bower, William and all boys make a barbecue trip to a park nearby Springwood. Freddy has another run-in with Dennis near a small creek. During the dispute Freddy slips and falls in the icy cold water. When Dennis laughs at him he gets frantic and attacks him with a branch lying on his side in the water. Dennis is caught off-guard from his attack and stumbles on the ground. Freddy bashes him with the stick again and again, thus breaking Dennis' arm. William finally stops him before he can harm Dennis even more. The trip is cancelled and they return to Springwood, where Dennis gets gypsum around his arm and Freddy is dressed in dry clothes before he falls asleep exhausted. Mr. Bower actually wants to speak with him about the incident, but Mrs. Neily convinces him to give Freddy some rest first.

10. The next day Mr. Bower still can't punish Freddy, because he got a severe influenza and lies with very high fever in his bed. Mrs. Neily cares for him, while he switches between ague and an uneasy feverish sleep. But she has to leave him alone for a while when the laundry rings up in the morning telling that the washings were ready to pick up. During her absence Freddy awakens and walks shakily through the empty house. In the kitchen he finds a long knife and starts to cut himself in a state of fever delusion. Mrs. Neily returns and finds him in the kitchen covered with blood. Her shocked shriek makes Freddy turn around, but before she can take off the knife he gets unconscious and falls to the ground. Later on a doctor attends to Freddy's numerous cuts on his arms and hands. After he is finished he talks to Mr. Bower that this kind of self-mutilation is rather alarming and suggests calling in a psychiatrist. Mr. Bower more and more comes to the conclusion that William was right and that Freddy needs some special help. 

11. Freddy's fever, which got even higher after his self-violation, continues for almost two weeks. Finally, when he is healthy again, he gets an unexpected visit from Sister Mary Helena. She is also quite surprised, she had never thought of meeting him again after he was brought to the reformatory. Besides she is very concerned about what had happened in the meanwhile, i.e. Freddy's runaway, his attack of Dennis and last but not least his worrying self-violation (not speaking of the hamster-murder that lead to his shift to the reformatory at all). The only downer was that she didn't tell Mr. Bower that she is Freddy's mother, because she feared that he would withdraw his offer if he knew that. The talk with Freddy is difficult as usual. He isn't very pleased to meet her again as the former meetings were part of a punishment which he thought was already over. 

12. Freddy accidentally finds Dennis cigarettes and secretly begins to smoke one. Unfortunately he is discovered by Mr. Bower and is punished hard. Even worse after Mr. Bower's official punishment he gets beaten by Dennis, who is furious that he dared to take his cigarettes, which are now confiscated by Mr. Bower. 

13. All boys, Mr. Bower and William make a shopping afternoon in downtown. Freddy oversees Jake who steals sweets in a grocery store. He tries to demand a part of the swag for his silence, but Jakes threatens him in return. Before the situation escalates William steps by and offers Freddy a kind of late welcome gift. Freddy is somewhat surprised by his friendly present but nevertheless keeps closed and suspicious. 

14. The new, fourth grade has begun. Freddy is in fact allowed to continue in school, although Mrs. Sullivan was strictly against it. Both she and the other students treat him with a mixture of distrust, mockery and disgust, like he was a complete maniac. 

15. Once again Freddy gets a rage attack. First Dennis displaces him from hearing a radio show and then he looses in a Parcheesi-game and Jakes laughs at him. In a furious outrage he throws the game through the room, so that Mr. Bower who is reading a newspaper orders him back to his sleeping room. Freddy refuses to go and yells angry, but Mr. Bower allows no disobedience and brings him to his room by force. 

16. Halloween. Freddy again is grounded due to his last rage attack. But Williams persuades Mr. Bower to cancel his punishment for this afternoon. First Freddy doesn't want to go out for "trick or treat" at all, but then he agrees to come with William. He still refuses to masquerade, arguing that he is a "dangerous maniac" who needs no dress up. Finally he compromises with William to wear a paper mask. On their tour they just come to the house of Mrs. Sullivan. Initially she gives him sweets, but when he lifts his paper mask and she recognizes him she gets rather harsh. She picks up her cat, which was sitting beneath her, and warns Freddy not to come to close to her pet. William is quite upset how hostile she treats Freddy, but Freddy is used to this and stays apparently resigned.

17. After Halloween Freddy's house arrest continues. One day the other kids are in town with Mr. Bower, leaving only him, William and Mrs. Neily at home. He hides under his bed again, but is found by William who sits on the floor and speaks to him patiently. After a while Freddy leaves his hideout and sits next to William. They make some small-talk first, but then Freddy starts to tell William of his deep-seated fears and concerns and his feeling of being absolutely alone in a mean and nasty world. William is pleased that he eventually begins to trust him. 

18. Sister Mary Helena visits Freddy for the third time. She gives him a pack of oreo cookies as a present. Freddy though throws the cookies away and yells furious that he doesn't want any gifts from her and that her visits were nothing but an awkward punishment for him. The other boys would tease him even more after her dumb ethic-lesson and he would hate Mary Helena for that. Mary Helena tries to calm him down sympathetic, but achieves only the direct opposite. Freddy lashes about and even hits her in the stomach. Mr. Bower helps her and stops Freddy rigorous, and so she aborts her visits and leaves the youth center sadly.

19.  Christmas Time. Freddy has tinkered a colored paper star for school with William's help. Although his star is really handsome Mrs. Sullivan criticizes his work and gives him a bad mark. On his way back to the children's home Freddy gets snapped by two schoolfellows. They knock him around and dupe him with snow in the face.

20. William and Freddy play cards. Freddy's trust in William has grown slowly in the last weeks. William asks Freddy for his Christmas wishes. Freddy replies that he has no wishes and doesn't believe in Santa Clause anymore. When William asks him again he says he just wants to be normal and like everybody else. William tries to comfort him and says that Freddy is already normal, but Freddy disagrees. He knows that he is different inside, but he doesn't know why. William is somewhat stumped. When he mentions that he will miss Freddy next year the boy looks up in shock, not knowing what William is talking about. William reminds him that he had told him several times before that he will leave the youth center after Christmas because his college courses continue. But Freddy has swamped out this thought and feels completely upset now. He thinks that William has betrayed him like anyone he trusted before and that this shows again that everyone in the world hates him and wants to hurt him. In an instant franticness he attacks William, punching and kicking him in unrestrained wrath until Mr. Bower interrupts him and sends him vigorously to his room. William on his part feels somewhat guilty and sorrowfully fears that he has unintentionally lost Freddy's trust in him and even in society forever.

Well, that's it!

I know it's a really sad chapter. Young Freddy is so lonely and isolated. And when he finally begins to trust someone withal his earlier poor experience this person leaves again. The trauma of loosing his confident recurred. The only way he could cope with his sorrow and trouble was to change it into hate and wrath. Swearing that he would never again trust anyone in his life… Poor Freddy! 


	5. A Macabre Hobby 1954

_Author's note_: Yep, it's chapter 5! Well, things are getting more creepy and violent. So be prepared to read about more cruelty against animals!

Chapter 5 - A macabre hobby   1954

===========================

1. Twelve year old Freddy is on his first day on the Springwood High School (which is a combined High School with grades from 7 to 12). Mrs. Parker, his English teacher, welcomes all students before asking each one to introduce themselves to the others. Freddy is lost in thoughts about his actual living situation, that is in his fourth foster family, namely with Mr. and Mrs. Underwood and their ten year old daughter Elizabeth (plus her cat Mr. Tinker). So he misses when Mrs. Parker calls his name and reacts not until another student shouts loud through the class that he is a freaky kook, making everybody except Freddy laugh. Mrs. Parker calls them to order first, and then she calls on Freddy to tell a little bit about himself. Thus Freddy tells that he is twelve and lives with a foster family, knowing that the other would find out this on their own anyway sooner or later. The rest of the lesson he remains silent then.

2. Same day, during break. Freddy accidentally bumps into a group of boys, which are Walter Lantz and his two friends, Michael Gray and Martin Thompson (the latter being the brother of Donald Thompson). They recognize Freddy as the "kook" from the English lesson before and starts to mock him at once. Freddy takes refuge in the toilets, but arrives too late at his next lesson, that is math. The teacher, Mr. Crawford, is a grim man who bawls at Freddy loud because of his delay, giving him a first foreboding of what to expect in math this year.

3. Freddy is summoned by Mrs. Underwood, who found a dead and decaying chipmunk with crushed guts in his room. She is quite disgusted and angry, not only because the dead animal was unhygienic and stinking but because Freddy didn't stand to the rules. Once again she reminds him not to bring any dead animal at home. But her expostulations don't impress Freddy at all. That's why Mrs. Underwood feels rather confused and helpless. The reformatory home told her before that Freddy was "kinda difficult in contact" and had "some noticeable behavior problems", but to hear this was one thing, to undergo it day by day was another. In fact nobody prepared her for a boy with a morbid preference for dead animals, who talks hardly and who gets furious if you come to close to him.

4. A few days later. Freddy already hates High School. Almost everyone in school calls him kook and mocks him because of his hamster-murder three years ago. If he had known that this silly rodent would haunt him for such a long time he probably wouldn't have killed it. During lunch break he flees once again from Walter into the toilets, but is captured by his friends which awaited him there already. Despite his resistance they put his head in a toilet bowl and press the flush, before they let him alone. With a wet head and shirt he finally leaves the toilets. On his way to the next class he just meets Mrs. Parker, who starts to be quite concerned about him.

5. Freddy is walking to the school bus stop in the morning. Before he reaches it he sees Martin and Michael already standing there waiting for the bus. Almost in an instinct Freddy hides behind a tree and, as a result, misses the school bus arriving in this moment. Although he is relieved not to be in the same bus with both boys he knows that he has to run the whole school way very fast in order to reach school in time. In fact he arrives with about fifteen minutes delay, thus receiving an admonition from Mrs. Parker.

6. Math. Mr. Crawford commands Freddy to calculate an arithmetic task in front of the class on the chalkboard. When he fails to solve the problem Mr. Crawford taunts him and calls him a blockhead. The other students are only grinning, showing no signs of compassion for him. The ringing of the school bell luckily puts Freddy out of his misery. In the following break he discovers the school basement on his repeated flight from Walter. Right from the beginning he feels a deep connection to this dark and mysterious place with all the pipes, boilers and other stuff. Unfortunately he overhears the end of the break while he sneaks around down there, so the janitor detects him and throws him out angrily.

7. Freddy returns late from school at home and kicks his school bag furious in the next corner. Mrs. Underwood, worried about his delay and aggression, asks him what's wrong with him. But Freddy yells at her that this is nothing to her. She isn't his mother solely because he is forced to live in this family, and he just wants to be let alone. Mrs. Underwood doesn't know to handle his permanent hostility and tries to calm him down by offering some sandwiches she made earlier. Her touching attempt makes it even worse, though. Freddy gets a terrible outburst, skids the tablet with the sandwiches through the air and screams so wild that Mrs. Underwood has no other choice than to actually leave him alone.

8. Freddy discovers a broken area in the fence around the schoolyard. Secretly he climbs out and skips the remaining school lessons. In the center park he finds a dead pigeon in a tiny, almost hidden almost place far beyond the path. He plays with the rotten cadaver for a while and remembers the excitement he had then with the dead rat and the other carcasses he found in the past. He also remembers how much more thrilling is was to kill that hamster in third grade. The delightful memory of that killing gives him the idea of slaying an animal again in order to relive this awesome and exciting satisfaction. But he isn't able to catch a living pigeon and finally gives up.

9. Saturday afternoon. Mr. and Mrs. Underwood talk about Freddy. She tells her husband the last incidences with Freddy and the difficulties she has with him. She also asks him to speak with the boy about his weird behavior. Thus Mr. Underwood summons Freddy, who is just sneaking up to the cat with a thin wooden stick in his hand. They both walk to the garage, where Mr. Underwood asks him to help waxing the car while he attempts to talk with Freddy directly. Although he tries honestly he isn't more successful than his wife due to Freddy's obstinate silence and his lack of any feelings of guilt.

10. After a really boring history lesson Freddy runs to the school basement again and finds an empty rat trap (a 10 inch metal cage). He has the idea to catch a pigeon with it, therefore he steals the trap and hides it in his locker until the school ends this day. Wrapped in his anorak he brings it to the place in the park then and sets up the trap with the rest of his lunch sandwich.

11. Tomorrow afternoon Freddy returns to his 'pigeon place'. The trap really worked and there is a pigeon inside the cage. He abreacts all his frustration and hate by killing the pigeon with a pointed wood stick. In doing so he feels the same thrilling satisfaction as at his hamster-murder then, but even more intense and long running. The cruel kill makes him smile viciously.

12. Some days later Freddy steals a big knife from the kitchen, when Mrs. Underwood is busy with other housework. Hidden in his school bag he carries it to the school and places it in his locker, ready to take away when he wants to go to his pigeon place. During the rest of the school day he is rather distracted with brutal fantasies of killing not just pigeons but anyone he doesn't like with the sharp knife.

13. Freddy plays truant again and kills two pigeon with the knife instead. He returns to school before lunch break and is just putting the bloody knife back in his locker when Mrs. Parker addresses him. Appalled he spins around and slams his locker hastily, then noticing that his hand is bloody, too, and hiding it behind his back. Luckily Mrs. Parker doesn't see it and sends him only back to his class.

14. Freddy is rather annoyed of Elizabeth, his foster sister. She wants him to play with her dolls, what is the least thing on earth he wants to do. Irritated he barks at her not to bother him any longer, and when she doesn't stop he takes away her doll and pulls out the legs and arms while Elizabeth, desperately crying, tries to catch her doll back again and calls for her mother. Mrs. Underwood approaches almost immediately and is once again very irritated and worried about Freddy's aggressive behavior. Her greatest fear is that he could do the same to her daughter one day. Whereas Freddy is totally unimpressed by her reproaches as usual, he's not even listening to her and runs outside to the front yard.

15. Another math lesson. Freddy gets an F in his last math test he wrote two weeks ago. Although Mr. Crawford warns him that he will fail the course if his grades won't improve he remains unconcerned. Instead of going to his next history lesson he skips school, runs to the center park and kills another pigeon.

16. Once more Freddy sneaks in the school basement, snooping around in the janitors' office. There he finds a piece of poisoned rat bait in a box and picks it up. After the break he has to team up with a girl in biology class, but she isn't very happy to work with him together and frankly shows her disfavor.

17. While sitting in the bus back from school Freddy is mocked and taunted by several girls. When also Michael and Martin, which are sitting just behind him, start to hustle him he jumps up and runs ahead to the bus driver. But someone trips him up and he stumbles endwise to the ground, raising a laugh from almost every student. Though he puts himself together again and leaves the bus on the next stop, although it isn't his stop and he has to walk quite a distance to his home. On his way home he feeds the rat poison hidden in his sandwich left from lunch to a dog, which is tied in front of a shop waiting for his owner. Then he watches the dog painful shrugging and vomiting as the poison starts to take effect in less than fifteen minutes. Finally the owner of the dog, a young lady, comes back and picks up her obviously sick pet, so that Freddy can't watch it any further and see if it will die by the end.

18. After school. Freddy kills once more a pigeon in the park. As he washes his bloody hands in the great fountain in the middle of the park he meets William, the former college assistant of the reformatory. They talk for a while, and William notices his changed behavior, which is more aggressive and hostile than ever. Freddy however tells William that in some way he has to thank him, as it was William that made plain to him that he neither has nor needs any friends, because now he could do whatever he likes to. William is really worried about this and wants to know what he means, but Freddy just replies that he wouldn't understand it. Before William can ask any further questions Freddy jumps up and runs away.

19. Walter, Michael and Martin ambuscade Freddy as he just leaves his refuge in the school basement. They insult him as a coward and wimp and threaten to tattle him to the janitor. Luckily for Freddy Mrs. Parker comes by and prevents anything worse. Walter and his friends withdraw from Freddy, so that he can run to his next lesson.

20. Three weeks later. Freddy's truancy has increased vastly as he spends more and more time in the park killing pigeons. One morning he even kills a duck, before returning to school at lunch break. He succeeds to slink back to the school yard unnoticed, but then runs into Walter and his friends. Walter snatches away Freddy's lunch bag and throws his sandwiches in the mud, besides he splashes his cacao over Freddy's shirt. Freddy puts up with their taunts and insults without any reaction, so they finally let off from him.

21. Only a few days later Freddy's frequent truancy and his poor math test leaks out. Mrs. Underwood is more than angry with him. She thinks that Freddy has exploited her sympathetic and forgiving upbringing with his lies and wants to know the reason for his recurrent truancy. But Freddy is clever enough not to tell her what he actually did in this time, though making her even more furious. Even when she punishes him hard and gives him several weeks of house arrest he doesn't give away his "special hobby" in the park.

22. The following day there is an article in the newspaper that the park gardener found the rotten carcasses of sixteen pigeons and four ducks. The news is also discussed in school, where everybody (except Freddy of course) puzzles about the offender of this cruelty against animals. Freddy almost breaks his secret during English class as they discuss the motive of the offender and he tries to explain that a reason for the killings could be a kind of pleasure. The other students aren't able to understand how anyone could enjoy killing animals, but Mrs. Parker tells them that there are in fact people called sadists who enjoy the pain and suffer of others. Freddy is surprised to find out that he is such a sadist, a naming he even relishes. Unfortunately he can't continue with his favorite hobby, because he has no trap anymore. But he is sure that he will do it again some day, be it with pets or with something else.

TO BE CONTINUED.

_Final note_: Well, what do you think? Poor pigeons? Or poor Freddy? Psychological he is on the best way to become a sociopath (with a so-called antisocial personality disorder, diagnosis 301.7 in the DSM-IV). He has already shown the three major signs of sociopathy in childhood: bed-wetting, cruelty against animals and arson. And this is just the beginning of his "career". 


	6. A Short Time of Happiness 1957

_Author's note_: I know, it's been a long time since I updated this story. Did a lot of rewriting, but now I'm finished and finally found the time for translating. :-))) 

So are you ready for Freddy? This chapter is for all folks who are waiting for some romance in our favorite serial killer's life. But doom will strike again, so read on and enjoy!

Chapter 6 – A short time of happiness 1957

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1. Freddy has grown up to a pretty handsome teenager. Still skinny and rather small, but with remarkable green eyes (_note_: Robert E's eye color is green, so I stick to that) and blond curled hair. Currently he lives in the reformatory again, and after three more failed attempts in foster families he is considered as "impossible to place". The Underwood's, where he lived at twelve, returned him a few month after the sudden end of his "pigeon killing" when they found him strangling the cat. The next family, a couple not based from Springwood, brought him back without any recognizable cause for Freddy just after a few weeks (they found out the rumor about Freddy's bastardy and the old Krueger-scandal and felt somehow betrayed because the reformatory didn't premention it – but of course Freddy didn't know that at all). The last try with a foster family finally failed due to his repeated rage attacks. The family asked for financial damages from the reformatory for all the things he destroyed during his outbursts, and when the reformatory refused this they brought Freddy back, because they found him to "costly".

2. In High School everything remained unaffected. Walter and his Friends still tease him as a weirdo and freak at every opportunity, especially because of Freddy's brown fedora hat (!), which he found about one year ago in the central park swimming abandoned in the fishpond and which he's always wearing since. Another rather newly but nevertheless haunting nuisance is the satirical song most students are singing during break. "On, two, Freddy's coming for you…" (*g*). Once it was just a rhyme of the boogeyman, but they changed the verse and made a kind of warning-song out of it. This song is a real pain in the ass for Freddy, because even unknown children sing it on the streets already. It seems as wherever he is going someone is yet singing that song. One day, during break, Freddy once again tries to escape the hunting song by running to the edge of the school yard, but is captured by Walter and his companions. They mock and bully him as usual, but when Freddy begins to fight back they grab him, throw him into a nearby big trash container and hold the cover close shut. Not until Mrs. Parker, still Freddy's English teacher, appears he manages to climb out of the dirty and foul-smelling junk, feeling humbled to the dust. 

3. Also unchanged continued the visits of Sister Mary Helena every time Freddy returned to the reformatory. Being once some kind of lectures in "ethic issues" her visits have become more like a gesture of friendship since Mr. Bower, the educator, didn't request her coming anymore. But although her relationship with Freddy has never become very intimate she doesn't want to cancel her casual visits. After her latest look-in, she stumbles on the steps downstairs and falls to the ground, thereby spraining her ankle. As luck would have it Mrs. Parker is nearby and helps her. Because of Mary Helena's injury Mrs. Parker invites her to her home which is not too far away. After providing Mary Helena with some ice for cooling her ankle they make a little small talk while having tea and cookies. However when Mary Helena accidentally drops her prayer book to the ground a small photograph of Freddy flutters out of it. Mrs. Parker recognizes him, being quite puzzled why this nun keeps a picture of Freddy in her prayer book. But then she remembers that Mary Helena came out of the reformatory before her drop, and she begins to suspect that Mary Helena is not just some nun but one certain nun – a nun whose fate is tightly connected with the name Krueger. Although Mrs. Parker doesn't say a words her thoughts are clearly visible in her face, and so Sister Mary Helena frankly reveals her true identity, thereby confirming Mrs. Parker's suspicion. She begins to explain the extraordinary circumstances of her casual visits and her relationship to Freddy, emphasizing that he doesn't know who she really is. Mrs. Parker has a deep sympathy for her, telling her in response that she is one of Freddy's teachers and aware of his frequent troubles also occurring in school. From the very beginning both women feel a deep affinity and closeness to each other, which only gets enhanced by their shared connection to Freddy. They friendly chat continues for awhile before Mary Helena finally has to return to her convent, but not until she promises to stay in touch with Mrs. Parker.

4. Another school day. Freddy keeps aloof from the others during lunch break, when suddenly he is addressed by a pretty girl with blazing red hair. Her name is Lydia Caine, a new student on Springwood High, and she wants to get to know Freddy not although but even because of all the rumors she heard about him, for she doesn't care about what the others do or say but wants to form an opinion on her own. Though, her sheer presence and her open, breezily kind deeply confuse Freddy, as it was always absolutely impossible that a girl would come and even speak to him voluntarily without any nasty ulterior motives. Besides, after all he kind of knows what they say about him, and so he answers only reluctant Lydia's fair-minded questions about the mock song, the cause of his placement in the reformatory and his hat – always fearing that she just wants to sound him out for putting him down later on. However Lydia doesn't take his reticence amiss, talking a lot about herself, her move from Chicago and her mother, who once was a famous theater actress, before finally leaving him alone again when she is called by some friends.

5. Mr. Crawford, the math teacher, bawls Freddy out for coming too late to class. He dawdled away in the basement, hiding there once again from Walter and his mates during break. Lydia, who's in the same class, talks to him after this lesson. She wants to know where he has been in the break before as she couldn't find him anywhere on the school yard. She also is the only one who shows some sympathy for him getting such a dressing down. Freddy however still can't believe that her interest in him is not just a trick and keeps quite silent, even when she asks him if he would like to ask her out today after school. The ring of the school bell, calling for the next lesson, interrupts their talk and gives Freddy the pretext of running away, although he feels like a complete daffy loser for screwing up his very first chance of dating a girl.

6. A couple of days later on afternoon Freddy is even more stunned with surprise when Lydia visits him in the reformatory. She was just curious about his living, besides she still wants to date him. Somewhat ashamed Freddy has to confess that as a rule Mr. Bower, the educator, has to give him permission for leaving the house alone, and that he might refuse to let him go just for hanging around downtown. But Lydia doesn't give in so easily and talks to Mr. Bower, actually managing to get the needed permission. Then she takes Freddy out to the "Crave Inn", the local diner restaurant in downtown. That she is willing to show up with him, the widely known weirdo, in such a public place is almost unbelievable for Freddy. Indeed their together appearance has already drawn the attention of many other schoolfellows, resulting in curious gazes and low whispering. When he finally asks her why she is doing this she explains that in her opinion going out for a milk shake isn't such an extraordinary thing and that she, in fact, likes his charily way. Overwhelmed with a mixture of amazement and shame by her compliment Freddy blushes nervously and takes refuge in the men's restroom, where he tells himself off for his clumsiness and for not being able to return the favor. After he calmed down a bit again he returns to Lydia, finding to his utter horror none other than Martin Thompson sitting on his place, flirting overtly with Lydia. While standing petrified a few steps away he overhears how Martin calls his date a "social compassion project for loosers" and how he reminds Lydia of a rendezvous they would have on the same evening. Completely shocked Freddy feels rejected, thinking that his date was nothing but a fake and that Lydia is interested in Martin in truth. When Lydia eventually spots him standing a little behind she has no chance of explaining the situation as Freddy turns around abruptly and runs away.

7. Another visit of Sister Mary Helena in the ref. She has heard of Freddy's "date" the day before and asks him about the girl he met. Unfortunately she doesn't know how the date ended, as Freddy didn't tell anyone about _that_. But when Mary Helena mentions Lydia the furious hate arising from the hurt feelings of the alleged rejection burst out. He yells at her in a wild rage attack, which turns quickly into great sadness and despair. Then he asks her what is wrong with him and why he is different, and why everybody who seems to be friendly first then just wants to hurt him. Mary Helena doesn't know how to soothe his emotional pain, and that grieves her deeply. Before she can even try to find some comforting words Freddy repels her vehemently, wanting her to leave him alone as he isn't able to hold back his tears any longer and doesn't want her to see him crying. Mary Helena respects his wish and leaves the room, while Freddy jumps on the bed and puts his head under the pillow, his shoulders quivering broken-hearted.

8. A couple of days later. Freddy keeps out of Lydia's way in school, hiding in the basement during break, so that she has no chance to set the record straight about her last unlucky date. But finally she catches him after school. Freddy doesn't want to speak to her first, still thinking that she fooled him. Lydia however explains that their date was anything but a "social compassion project" to her and that he would be a jerk believing that she would play in such a mean way with his feelings. She has had a nice and pleasant date with only him, Freddy, until Martin, this brash swaggerer, showed up by sheer chance. If he wouldn't have run away so fast she had explained to him right there that the "rendezvous" Martin was speaking of was just a meeting for a school project they have to work out together. At first Freddy is torn between relief and distrust, but when Lydia invites him to the cinema as atonement for the unsuccessful first date he becomes more and more convinced that she truly likes him. Though, together with his regained self-confidence comes the realization that he reacted like a daft nerd, a feeling which gets only amplified by the fact that he has to refuse her kind invitation due to fact that he got grounded once again for a tantrum he had yesterday when one of his roommates didn't stop to sing the mock song all along the evening. But Lydia just suggests that she visits him again at home, so that they could learn together for the next math test coming soon – a work even Mr. Bower would surely allow. Freddy agrees quickly, as if he fears she could withdraw her offer if he hesitates too long. Lydia for her part waves off cordially when she discovers her mother, who drives up with a big, yellow Rolls Royce to pick her right up for shopping.

9. Freddy receives a surprising good mark in the latest math test – a result of the intense learning together with Lydia as she kept her promise and visited him again in the reformatory. Lydia congratulates him for his achievement after the lesson and, after finding out that his grounding has ended, asks him out for a meeting in the center park. Freddy accepts her invitation happily, although he still has to fight the feeling that his friendship with Lydia is only a dream or even worse just a sick joke. When they get to Freddy's locker he has to find out that someone has cracked and reset his code combination, so that he can't open it anymore. Walter, who is "incidentally" hanging around, mocks him nastily, thereby clearly showing that he is responsible for the changed locker code. Lydia gets really angry in view of such a mean, devious teasing, unavailingly demanding the new locker code from Walter, while Freddy takes this new bullying rather unmoved and gets moving to the janitor to get his locker opened.

10. Lydia and Freddy spend together a wonderful afternoon in the central park, strolling on the promenade and talking, whereby Lydia is mainly talking and Freddy mostly tight-lipped. He's still self-conscious and inhibited in all this girlfriend-stuff, not knowing what to say or what to do next, fearing that one tiny lapse could ruin everything. When Lydia at once holds hands with him he blushes deeply and feels like walking on air. It takes him several attempts until he finally plucks up his courage and owns up his feelings for Lydia. His clumsy shyness and tentativeness are really touching, and Lydia doesn't hesitate to reassure that she also likes him very much. On their way through the park they eventually take a seat on a bench near the great fountain, enjoying the warm spring weather and the glorious sundown. Hearing the church bells Lydia wants to know when Freddy has to return the reformatory, but is quite upset when Freddy admits that he is almost three hours overdue. Lydia can't understand how he could ignore the time limit, for it is very likely that he will be grounded again because of his delay. Freddy, though, has just not considered the consequences of his timeout, and the prospect of a probable painful dressing down from Mr. Bower doesn't make it easier for him to say goodbye to Lydia now. But Lydia insists that he returns to the reformatory without wasting any more time, crossing her fingers that he will not be punished too hard, and so he finally leaves her and gets moving home.

11. Mr. Bower got indeed very angry, but although he disciplined Freddy and gave him another week of grounding Freddy didn't regret his disobedience, like he usually did not regret any of his misdoings or feel any remorse afterwards. On the next school day, a Friday, he is just on the way to his locker, but finds it already opened. And his notepad is missing – the pad in which he doodled hearts with "F&L" and other childish and doting stuff about him and Lydia. In growing panic he searches through the locker, when suddenly Walter asks tauntingly if he is missing something, because if so he should look on the black board whether "someone" put it on there. Fearing the worst but still hoping that this isn't true Freddy sprints to the black board down the hallway, but the loud laughter from the students crowding before the board let his worst nightmare come true. His pad is pinned on the board, the page with his doodles visible for everyone. All students around, ahead with Walter, who followed Freddy, are laughing at him. When Walter spots Lydia, who is just coming along by chance, he summons her to have a look at Freddy's "art". Freddy however rips off his notepad, yelling furiously at Walter before he flees into the basement – too deep is the humiliation. Lydia caught only a short glimpse of the notepad, but this together with Freddy's reaction is enough so that she can make out what happened. She swears at Walter for being an insensitive, mean lump, and then she follows Freddy down to the school basement. When she finally finds him in the dark level she gets quite startled as she witnesses one of Freddy's tantrums for the very first time. Screaming vulgar curses Freddy is blowing his notepad into little bits, then he knocks over a small dusty filing cabinet and a metal ladder before kicking wild against one of the big boilers. His unrestrained franticness upsets Lydia, for she has never seen Freddy like this before. Fearing that he might hurt himself by slamming so often against the boiler she touches him softly and tries to calm him down. Only just realizing her presence Freddy snaps at her irately, yelling that she had no right to follow him into his "realm". Lydia of course has no idea what he is speaking of, but Freddy grabs her violently at her shoulders and repeats that this place is his special secret and secure realm. His painful grip and the black look he gives her really scare her, and for a short moment Freddy enjoys her fear and pain, but then he pushes her away, shouting that she should run away and leave him alone as long as she can still do it. Confused by his threatening behavior Lydia eventually runs off, while Freddy continues to abreact his rage and hate on the boiler wall. 

12. Next Monday in school. Freddy had a terrible weekend, thinking that he has completely ruined the friendship to Lydia with his rage attack and that she certainly must hate and loath him now. For the first time he feels some kind of shame for his sadistic impulses. While he tries to avoid Lydia she surprises him by awaiting him at the basement door, knowing that he would probably hide again down there during break. She wants to talk things out and leads him to an outlying corner of the school yard where they can talk undisturbed. The whole weekend she has thought about what happened in the basement, finally coming to the conclusion that though she was very frightened by his behavior she doesn't want to end their friendship this way. She assumes that he sent her off in order to protect her from himself or from the things he almost had done. Freddy makes a short attempt to explain what he was about to do. But he isn't able to bring himself to say that it was not only about loosing his self control but that for one moment he felt up to hurt her on purpose. And that if he had given in to his desires he would even have enjoyed it. Lydia however appeases him that nothing really happened at all. A part of her probably doesn't want to know what really occurred in the basement, and Freddy is so glad that she still wants to be together with him that he is only too pleased to change the topic. Before the break finally ends they arrange another meeting at the "Crave Inn" for the next weekend.

13. Mrs. Parker and Sister Mary Helena incidentally meet on the local cemetery. They have a little talk, and the spontaneous sympathy they had for each other on their first meeting deepens. Among other things Mrs. Parker tells Mary Helena about Freddy's relationship to Lydia, at least the things she noticed in school. Mary Helena is glad to hear that Freddy found someone he trusted and even liked after all, hoping that he would benefit from the friendship with this girl. Before they disband Mary Helena invites Mrs. Parker to attend at church in her convent for listening to the famous church choir, an invitation Mrs. Parker accepts willingly.

14. Weekend. Freddy and Lydia meet again in the "Crave Inn" diner. She tells him that she will make a long journey during summer holidays, which will start in two weeks. Freddy is getting quite depressed on hearing that he will be all alone during holidays, going stale in the reformatory with all the other kids which are already a pain in the neck for him. Lydia tries to cheer him up, telling him that they can at least meet again in the first week of the holidays before her journey starts. But this is only a cold comfort for Freddy, even when Lydia promises to write a post card every week.  To make him think something different she suggests dancing together. Despite Freddy's flabbergasted protest, stating that he can't dance at all and that nobody else is dancing, she puts some coins into the jukebox, chooses a rather slow romantic song and drags him to the small space in the corner of the diner being used as the 'dance floor'. Blushing deeply Freddy wants to sink into the ground, and the curious gazes of all the other guests makes him even more tense and nervous. But Lydia just takes his left hand, holding him softly and dancing slowly to the music. After a while Freddy finally puts his free right hand on her waist and begins to move likewise, a happy smile forming on his face. Forgotten are the upcoming holidays and her travel, and forgotten are the other people staring at them agape, in this very moment he is just on top of the world, wishing that this song might never end. 

15. The holidays have begun. Freddy's school report has not been as bad as feared, and so he needs not to take an extra summer course, which else would have ruined the holidays completely. He meets up with Lydia the last time before her travel, this time at her home (!). Just quite recently Freddy would have considered it impossible to be asked over by a pretty girl like Lydia. But now he's sitting beside her in her bedroom, listening to some music played by a little case record player, eating tasty cookies and drinking lemonade Lydia's mother has made for them. Lydia even shows him some old pictures of her, where she's a lovely small girl with pigtails and tooth spaces. All in all it is a wonderful afternoon for Freddy, making him perfectly happy – something that happened not very often in his life before.

16. A few weeks later, at the end of the summer holidays. Freddy's looking forward to school, because then he will see Lydia again. Although she has kept her promise, sending him a post card every week, he has at the same time the irrational fear that she might not like him anymore or that she has get to know some other boyfriend during holidays. The holidays itself have been quite boring and annoying for Freddy, but beside of some spats with the others kids in the reformatory and one bigger rage attack at the beginning of the vacation nothing particular happened. One day Mr. Bower summons Freddy into his office, talking with him about the possibility of returning to the orphanage if his behavior proves to be that positive and if his school marks don't drop in the next grade. What Mr. Bower doesn't tell him is that the orphanage yet vehemently resists taking Freddy back, for he is sure that he will retune them eventually. Albeit this bureaucratic obstacles he reminds Freddy, that his future is laying in his hands, and that he has to pull himself together and to be a good boy if he doesn't want to block his chances. There could even be yet another chance of being placed in a new foster family in the orphanage. Freddy however isn't sure whether to be happy or not about a possible return to the orphanage, too unpleasant are his memories of this place, and besides he knows that he would be in Mrs. Jennings group then. While he is still sitting in Mr. Bower's office, thinking about this unexpected prospect, the telephone is ringing. Mr. Bowers answers the phone, then he handles it over to Freddy – it's Lydia who is calling. Amazed at her sudden call he talks with her a while, whereas Mr. Bower is standing waiting at the window. After Freddy has finished the talk he reminds him once again what they have discussed earlier, then he turns him away.

17. High School. A new school year, Freddy's tenth grade, has started. He has got new teachers in most of his subjects, so in math and also in English. Having Mr. Crawford not anymore as math teacher doesn't distress Freddy much, after all this guy made his life a miserable right from the start. But loosing Mrs. Parker as English teacher is more unfortunate, because she treated him always fair and kindly. Unlike Walter and his mates, which continue with their mean and taunting behavior like before. Another small let-down is that he and Lydia are now only together in history class as she has chosen different classes like experienced math this semester – a choice Freddy would never have made in his life cause this class is being taught by none other than Mr. Crawford. Lydia on her part also feels sorry for not having more classes together with Freddy, but she is looking forward to her new classes, too, knowing that she will need this courses for going to college some day. Besides she promises Freddy that she will still learn with him for math or for any other subject he might need help. Her generous offer for private lessons gives Freddy some hope that he will probably make this grade well.

18. A few days later in the reformatory at supper-time. Freddy's been quite lost in thought all over the day, thinking about some erotic dream regarding Lydia last night. It's the first time that he got sexually aroused by the imagination of having 'normal' sex with a girl instead of the creepy and abnormal fantasies about inflicting pain on animals and even on some priggish girls from school he usually visualized. He wonders if he is maybe not so different from the others at all, and if he could belong to them like any other 'normal' guy. For a while he imagines to take out Lydia for the prom, dancing with her all the night and finally being elected as the king and queen of the prom. When another boy sitting next to him on the table by supper banters him about his daydreaming, guessing that it might deal about his 'hot redheaded chick', he lavishes his plate with hot tomato soup on him, making him jump up hectically and scream in pain due to the scald. In punishment for that Freddy is sent to his bedroom immediately and gets a week of grounding. First he takes this punishment rather unheeding, as he doesn't let anyone pick on him for his feelings for Lydia anymore, but then, realizing that he is grounded afresh when he finally could meet with Lydia again, he gets quite angry about himself and his imprudent reaction. But being unable to regret his misdoing he soon turns his anger onto the other boy and Mr. Bower, blaming the first for putting him on the edge and the second for punishing him so hard.

19.  Lydia has a talk with two cheerleaders in the girl dressing room before physical education begins. The two other girls ask her about her relationship to Freddy, not believing that she really knows what she's engaging with. Lydia however is not very keen on discussing her friendship with Freddy once again, telling them that she already knows all the rumors being told about Freddy and that none of them were true. He did not collect dead animals in his locker, he had not stolen his hat from a deceased tramp in the center park, and he had sure enough not killed his parents as a toddler but is just an ordinary orphan, for to mention just some of the most persistent rumors. Though, the cheerleaders insist on Freddy being a psycho and report another story about him, namely his hamster kill in elementary school. When Lydia wants to shrug this off as another baseless rumor one of the girls assures her that this is a fact as she had witnessed it then with her own eyes. Taken aback in face of such an awful story Lydia breaks off the conversation since she doesn't want to foredoom Freddy without thinking about this affair or even discussing it with him.

20. Due to Freddy's lasting grounding Lydia visits him once again in the boy's home, bringing a game of Scrabble with her to play together. Besides it has been raining all the day so that they could hardly go in for something else even if Freddy's grounding would have been aborted. However, when she enters the common room at first she oversees how Freddy, who bumped into a chair, hitting his shin painfully, furiously kicks at the chair and snaps aggressive at another boy laughing at him. For a short moment he has the same unrestrained sinister look on his face as in the school basement at that time, but then he catches sight of Lydia and cools down at once, acting again like the shy, sheepish boy she know so well. Though, watching his little violent fit of temper reminds her of the hamster-story she has been told. After they played Scrabble awhile she finally asks him point-black if he really slew this rodent. Somewhat upset by her question Freddy wants to know who told her about that old incident before he confesses it eventually. Lydia's almost stunned look makes him explain that this act was just a one-time case at a time he had some great troubles, and that he would regret it ever since (which was in a way true as he was sick of being addressed about that old story again and again). The pigeon-affair three years ago and the not so marginally circumstance that he liked to kill those animals he simply keeps secret knowingly. And since it was quite embarrassing for Lydia to ask him about that at all she doesn't ask any more and prefers to change topic then.

21. Freddy has stolen a pack of cigarettes from the school janitor, smoking them clandestine early in the morning in the toilets of the boy's home. On a whim he sets a toilet roll on fire, but when suddenly another boy comes in he kicks the cigarette together with the burning roll into the toilet bowl and pulls the flush, thereby putting out the fire. The other boy notices the smell of burning and cigarette smoke, warning Freddy that he gets into serious trouble if Mr. Bower finds out about that. Freddy however keeps unconcerned; he even threatens the other boy with a repeat of the tomato-soup incident if he dares to squeal him.

22.  In school some days later. The new biology teacher has started a fresh project today: dissecting a (dead) frog. Freddy's working concentrated with the scalpel, a dreamy smile on his lips. His partner for this lesson, one of the cheerleaders, is more than alienated by his morbid fascination, finding his astonishing detailed knowledge of the anatomy of animals just disgusting – a knowledge he attained by the former pigeon killing and by his preoccupation with all the other dead animals. He merely regrets that the frogs are already dead; dissecting a living animal would have been just more thrilling for him, although even the dead one excites him so much that he has to stay close to the table so that nobody sees his erection. At the end of the lesson the teacher praises him for making such a precise dissection. The first time Freddy is really good at something.

23. A few days later. Freddy picks up Lydia at home, then they go to the movies and watch 'I was a teenage werewolf'. In the flickering light of the movie Freddy gets his first kiss from a girl, catapulting him right into seventh heaven. When Lydia invites him to a barbecue with her family on weekend he feels like the happiest boy in town, yes he even feels 'normal' like everybody else. For the first time he thinks that everything in his life is just okay, that everything makes sense. 

24. On the next day in school during break. Walter has got an extra exercise in history for forgetting his homework two times. He is just searching through a row of old books in the school library when he accidentally founds a pile of old newspaper hidden above a dusty tome. Most of the headlines aren't of any interest for him until he founds the cover story of the old Krueger-scandal, depicting the dreadful events that happened to Amanda Krueger aka Sister Mary Helena then. There was even a little picture of her on that page. Reading the name Krueger Walter deduces correctly that Freddy is the son of that poor nun, a discovery he has to tell his mates immediately. So he takes the front paper of this newspaper and runs to his friends right away.

25. Until lunch break the rumor about Freddy's descent has already spread around. Wherever Freddy is going someone is whispering about him, others just gaze at him or keep demonstrative on distance. More than once he hears the words "bastard" and "a hundred maniacs", but of course he can't make head or tail of it. Besides he's busy with breaking open his locker with a screwdriver as someone, probably Walter or one of his mates, has changed his locker code again and he doesn't want to ask the janitor. When Walter finally finds him there, he almost immediately blurts out the truth about Freddy's parents, giving him the newspaper as proof and calling him "son of a hundred maniacs" again and again. The other students soon take over the mock line, reiterating it laughing, while Freddy's gazing at the cover story in utter shock. Petrified with sheer terror he recognizes the picture of the nun – his mother – at once. Realizing that Sister Mary Helena, the nun who visited him for such a long time, is in fact his mother, and that she lied to him all the years, he falls into an abyssal despair. Everything that stabilized him, everything that made sense in his life, collapses like a house of cards, leaving nothing but confusion and anguish. In a kind of mental blackout, caused by the traumatic discovery and the bottled up hatred, Freddy attacks Walter with the screwdriver he's still holding in the hand, stabbing him into his left shoulder. Walter screams out in pain, his shoulder bleeding severely. Seeing his bloodstained hands Freddy starts to yell frantically, the reality being wiped out by an insanity which is already existing in his soul and which is now breaking out like an elemental force. Instead of the students backing away from him he sees a scary scenery with blood swelling from the walls and dead people all around, being mutilated by an invisible force. Horrified and fascinated at the same time he stumbles around yelling until he finally bumps against a wall. The bloody screwdriver falls to the ground while Freddy sinks down apathetic, the horrible visions gone, but the dreadful truth still there. His fedora hat has also fallen to the ground during his short psychotic episode, but none of the other students picks it up.

26. The day after Freddy's attack he and Mr. Bower have been called to the school principal. While Mr. Bower is already in the principal's office, Freddy is sitting outside on a wooden chair, but he can hear the men mumbling inside. Since his assault on Walter he has gone through several emotional states, starting with shock and apathy, then misery and desperation and finally wrath and hate. All the years he tried to be 'normal' have always been futile, because he, the bastard son of a hundred maniacs, would never belong to the ordinary society. So it is a waste of effort to still endeavor it and to suppress his 'dark side' any longer. But if he starts to defend himself instead of waiting for everything to become better on its own, he will be free to do whatever he wants and nobody would ever stop him again. Feeling betrayed and deserted by his own mother he decides to never let himself being hurt by anyone again in this way, but to strike back with all bloody force if necessary. Friendship, love, trust, mercy and remorse doesn't mean anything to him, not anymore, leaving only rage, hate, pain and revenge. After waiting for a quarter of an hour Freddy finally gets called into the office, where the principals tells him that Walter's parents have refrained from making a record because of battery, but that he will be permanently expelled from school due to his violent assault. Freddy accepts this news without any visible reaction, irritating the principle with his piercing glance. Only when the principal says goodbye to Mr. Bower and him he makes a rather vulgar and impudent remark, causing Mr. Bower to apologize hastily and to push him quickly out of the office before the principle has a chance to react on Freddy's insult. Outside Mr. Bower is more than angry about Freddy's naughty behavior, telling him that he won't tolerate any rudeness. But Freddy keeps unimpressed and hostile, and Mr. Bower has the bad impression that Freddy gets out of his control.

27. Lydia visits Freddy in the reformatory after his school expulsion, bringing him his fedora hat he lost on the Walter-affair. Just when she is about to enter the home a crying nun runs out, almost bumping into her. She assumes that this is the nun who visited Freddy casually, but she has no idea why she is such a desperate state and just guesses that Freddy is not in a very good mood after all what happened. Entering the reformatory nevertheless Lydia finds Freddy in his bedroom. While Freddy's sitting motionless on his bed, scowling at her silent, she offers him her sympathy for the nasty rumors and the dreadful old scandal, being totally unaware of Sister Mary Helena's true identity as she wasn't there when he attacked Walter and therefore she also hasn't seen the picture in the newspaper. Freddy however snaps at her furiously, telling her that she doesn't understand anything at all. It is not the worst to be the son of a hundred maniacs, quite the contrary, now everything would make sense eventually. But what he can't bear is the fact that his so-called mother has stultified and betrayed him all the years. Lydia doesn't get his meaning, and so he yells irately that Sister Mary Helena is his mother. Now Lydia realizes the whole extend of the revelation. But her concernment enrages Freddy only more. He barks at her that he doesn't want her friendship and her pity, and that she has no idea what real suffer is. Grabbing her violently at her shoulders he insults and threatens her, and this time he doesn't hide how much he enjoys her fear and pain. Acting like on the incident in the school basement he really scares Lydia, and finally she has to realize that all this aggressiveness, hostility and hate have always been there, just hidden inside him. His frequent rage attacks have not been just simple slips but short bursts of his true personality, which seems to be really emotionally disturbed. Lastly she has to accept that there is no point and that she has lost a friend forever.


End file.
